13 hours
by Era Dubois
Summary: Testing the waters. Jack has been pushed a bit too far and now he has to find his way through a Labyrinth, that may not be ready for the man who...does he plan it all out, or make it up as he goes along?...Well, one thing is certain, the inhabitants of the Underground will never forget the time they almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow.
1. Chapter 1

_**I Do not Own Labyrinth or Pirates of the Caribbean**_

**13 Hours**

Jack sat in the middle of a rather smelly swamp clutching his compass and shaking it. "I know what I want!" The compass' needle kept spinning. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He looked around himself. "I want out of this…_bog_!" The needle stopped and pointed due West. He smiled at the trinket and stood up, "Thank you."

He began a confident march out of the Bog of Eternal Stench.

**Seven Hours Earlier**

"The Captain's in a right awful mood." Gibbs commented to no one in particular.

"HAS ANYONE SEEN THE BLOODY RUM?!"

The sound of crates and barrels being overturned echoed up from below decks, as the captain of the Black Pearl searched for the missing libation.

Elizabeth Swan, King of the Brethren Court, walked down to the source of the overall upheaval of said vessel.

"Jack! Stop it."

Jack Sparrow turned and waved feebly at Elizabeth, as he kept searching. "Hello, have you seen the rum?"

"Yes."

Jack looked amused and perplexed as his head shot up to look at her. "Where, where have you seen the rum?"

"Floating, in the ocean, near our last port."

Jack curled the hand he was about to slap her with into a fist and dropped it to his side. "Get out of my way."

Elizabeth looked at him, "Jack, you haven't been yourself in forever. That vile drink has made you complacent. This is the most active you have been in…_months_!"

He pushed her aside and stomped up the stairs to the deck. "Meddlesome woman, _Oh Jack I am just trying to help you_." He muttered and said in a falsetto voice. He glared back at her as he prepared the dinghy.

Gibbs walked up to him, as Jack already stood in the little boat, lowering himself to the ocean's surface. "Captain, where are you going?"

"He's going to hunt a crate of rum that is floating somewhere near the last port!" Elizabeth shouted from the stairs below deck.

Jack smiled with a blatant lack of sincerity, "Yes, that."

He began rowing back, hoping not to run afoul of that most dangerous drop of ocean, the Bermuda Triangle.


	2. Chapter 2

_**I Do not Own Labyrinth or Pirates of the Caribbean**_

**13 Hours**

Jack kept rowing, and rowing, and rowing. Then he stopped. He had a visitor. He was tall with odd hair; though, who was Jack to judge. He held a shimmering orb and was rolling it about his fingers, much as how Jack was wont to do with coins. Jack shook himself out of his trance-like state, "What is that?"

The newcomer smiled. "It is a crystal, nothing more…"

Jack started rowing again. "Then it's worthless."

The man raised a finger of his free hand, "Ah but if you turn it this way, it can show you your dreams."

Jack smiled and shook his head while looking down. "I don't need that, I know my dreams, and I have a way to get to them." He placed the oars in a standby position and patted the compass hanging from his hip, and then he began rowing again.

The man looked at the compass curiously and then sighed, "Yes, I'm sure you do, but isn't there something you're searching for that the compass _can't _help you find?"

Jack became introspective, "Yes."

The man smiled, "That's what I thought; you have thirteen hours to solve my labyrinth."

He smiled strangely, "I wish you luck."

Then he was gone and Jack smelled something foul.

**Now **_**or **_**Two Hours into the Labyrinth **

Jack kept walking westward until he heard mumbling. "Smell, smell bad."

Jack walked up to the red-orange behemoth. "Excuse me; mate, what might you be doing here?"

The furry beast looked at the pirate, "Ludo…Lost."

"Lost, you say." Jack whipped out his compass, "Well, we can fix that."

He stared at the swirling needle. "Ludo you say?" The bear like creature slowly nodded his head up and down. "I want to know how to get Master Ludo home." The needle pointed straight forward. "Come now, we have our heading."

The duo kept walking until they arrived at a row of hedges, the official 'beginning' of the labyrinth. Jack walked right in and began his trek through the first level. After ten minutes of walking in circles Jack took his sword in hand, swung and hit…nothing. _Nothing?_

He stepped through the opening in the hedge, "What are you waiting for Ludo?"

Ludo walked in behind the pirate.

"Ello."

Jack looked back, "Ello."

"Whatcha doing?"

Jack finally saw the one who was talking and stooped to look him in the eye, "Worm."

"Yes, that's the name, don't wear it out. Watcha doing?"

Jack stood and motioned between Ludo and himself, "We're navigating the labyrinth."

Jack began leading the way and the Worm spoke up, "Not that way."

Jack swung his head back around the corner, "What."

"Don't go that way. You don't want to go that way."

Jack went that _that way_.

Ludo looked down at his companion. "Worm said don't."

Jack smiled, "Precisely my sunset hued friend, I don't take kindly to being told what I can do."

Shortly, Jack and Ludo were at the gates of the Goblin City, needing not to traverse other trials, having won against the worm of doubt. When the gates opened, a very large goblin stood before them. Jack craned his neck to take in the enormous foe. "Humongous."

The imposing goblin shifted his eyes, "Yes, how did you know?"

Jack shrugged as he ran and slid between the, now confused, roadblock's legs, "Rather self explanatory," He shouted back, "Ludo are you coming?"

Ludo waved at Hugh Mongous and the guard stepped out of the way. Ludo _was_ a legitimate citizen after all.

Jack kept running when he saw the tangerine beastie following. He could see that the city was in a state of war and understood it was against each other and thought, _much like the members of the Brethren Court._ He made it into the courtyard and skidded to a stop. Little goblins were loading cannons with ammunition kept in the crates behind them. That's when he saw it, the crate with the sparrow; the crate with the rum, _his _crate. A little soldier reached into Jack's crate and pulled out an onion bottle, handing it to the goblin loading the cannon. Jack ran toward them waving his hands and screaming in, what felt to him, slow motion, "Not the rum!"

Just as he reached the crate, it and the two adventurers disappeared in a puff of sparkling smoke.

Jareth was sitting on the crate when Jack lurched to a stop. "How on Earth, did you escape the Bog of Eternal Stench?"

Jack smirked and simply said, "I made a raft out of sticks and hair," He thrust a thumb behind his shoulder, indicating Ludo, "from his back."

Jareth stood and looked at the newest champion of his labyrinth. "You beat my labyrinth with ten hours to spare. Who are you?"

Jack reached his hand into the crate he jimmied back open and pulled out a bottle. He pulled the cork out and brought the bottle to his mouth, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

He propped his foot up on the top of the crate and took a victorious swig. He closed his eyes at the cool refreshment he gained, when he opened them, he was back on the Black Pearl. He started walking up the stairs to the main deck, singing to himself. "Yo ho, yo ho…"

**The end**


End file.
